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Gorzelanny back on track after testing elbow

Gorzelanny back on track after testing elbow

8/2/13: Tom Gorzelanny is hit by a line drive to the mound in the second inning, leaving the game after being looked at by the trainers

By Adam McCalvy
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MLB.com |

SAN FRANCISCO -- Left-hander Tom Gorzelanny was expected to make his next start Saturday in Seattle or Tuesday in Texas after throwing a successful bullpen session Wednesday, his first mound work since being struck on the elbow by a line drive.

Had he stayed on schedule, Gorzelanny would have pitched Wednesday night against the Giants. But the Brewers played it safe instead, in part because they will evaluate Gorzelanny over the final two months of this season for a starting spot in 2014.

"I felt like I was good to go today but we were just being cautious with it," Gorzelanny said. "There was still a little swelling in there and we didn't want to risk it. A couple extra days [don't hurt]."

Last season in Washington was Gorzelanny's first as a full-time reliever, and the Brewers signed him in December for two years and $5.7 million planning to use him as a multi-inning reliever capable of making an occasional spot start.

But that plan changed in the wake of injuries to other starting pitchers, and Gorzelanny was so successful (3.21 ERA in his first six Brewers starts) that the team now views him differently. Gorzelanny welcomed that opportunity.

"Starting is the ultimate for being a pitcher," he said. "You want to be the guy in control of the game and be a part of a win. Every time you go out there, that's the ultimate goal. It's what I've done most of my career, and I did very well at it for a while. I feel there's still a lot left in me to prove, and I feel I can do good things as a starter again."

He has started 117 Major League games for four different teams and, with the Brewers, has the advantage of being left-handed. The only other lefty currently in Milwaukee's starting pitching picture is Chris Narveson, who will be a six-year free agent at the end of this season if the Brewers do not add him back to the 40-man roster.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.